Yohan Cabaye looked downcast during Newcastle United’s tense win over Fulham,
but was he hurt by those who booed him or merely ­sulking because he remains
at a club he thought he would be leaving?

Cabaye has a superb technique and a wonderful range of ­passing, but he is not an innocent victim of agent manipulation or Newcastle United's refusal to sell.

He has behaved selfishly, repeatedly refusing to play this season, and he only did so against Fulham as a substitute because it looks as though he will not be ­leaving after all.

Arsenal may yet raise their £10.2 million offer but it looks unlikely and Cabaye has to repair the damage done, particularly as France coach Didier Deschamps responded to his behaviour by dropping him from the national squad.

“It was important to get him out there,” said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who has publicly protected the midfielder, before and after Newcastle’s first Premier League win of the season.

“It will make it easier to move on, although there is a lot of talking to be done. We need to speak with Yohan and his representatives to make sure that we go forward hand-in-hand. The guy has a World Cup at the end of the year and he is a big part of France’s plans. He hasn’t been picked this week and I think that was a bit of a shock to him.”

When Arsenal were told a fortnight ago to return with an offer of £20million, Cabaye reacted poorly. He has upset a lot of people, but while many supporters jeered him when he came on as a second-half substitute, he was also given a standing ovation 10 minutes later when he took his first corner.

Put simply, Cabaye’s introduction improved Newcastle and that is why Pardew has been careful not to be critical of his playmaker – and it is why the majority of fans would love him to stay.

Until he, Yoan Gouffran and Loïc Rémy came off the bench, Newcastle had run out of ideas against Fulham’s well-drilled defence. Instead, they eventually built up enough momentum to score a winner.

A second successive goalless draw at St James’ Park would have done little to improve an already depressed atmosphere on Tyneside after weeks of inactivity in the transfer market. In the end, however, it was not Cabaye but Hatem Ben Arfa who secured the win with a goal that summed up his individual brilliance.

“I always try to do my best and make sure people come to the stadium and enjoy themselves,” said Ben Arfa, who was prevented from talking about Cabaye’s position by a Newcastle press officer. “It was a special goal and we can work for the next two weeks with some serenity.”

Fulham felt they had done enough to yield a point but, while Martin Jol’s side were solid, a forward line containing Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov need to do more away from home to take the pressure off their defenders.

“The end was very frustrating, but we’re a bit disappointed with the way we played, too, especially in the ­second half,” Fulham centre-back Aaron Hughes said. “We didn’t get going as we would have liked and had to soak up a lot of pressure.”